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Archipelago and Wildlife - 2016 Uncirculated Cupro Nickel Coin

Coin Highlights

2016 Uncirculated Cupro Nickel £2

Issued on behalf of the British Indian Ocean Territory

Issue: Unlimited

Unique presentation pouch

Also available as: Proof Sterling Silver

Description

The British Indian Ocean Territory is situated in the Indian Ocean, between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory consists of the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 55 individual islands – many of which are tiny. The largest and most southerly island is Diego Garcia which features on this new coin.

Chagos is an archipelago in over quarter of a million square miles of the world’s cleanest seas. It contains the largest coral atoll on earth and over 60,000 square km of shallow limestone reef and associated habitats, and about 300 seamounts and abyssal habitats. It is by far Britain’s greatest area of marine biodiversity.

The outline of Diego Garcia Island is shown in the centre of the coin with some of the native wildlife also shown. A Turtle, a Booby Bird and some Angelfish can be seen on the reverse of the coin alongside some coral reef at the bottom.

Design

The design features an image of native wildlife of British Indian Ocean Territory consisting of a Turtle, a Booby Bird and some Angel Fish. The Outline of Diego Garcia Island is shown in the background. The obverse of the coin features an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II exclusively by Pobjoy Mint.

This archipelago contains some of the world’s healthiest coral reefs and the cleanest sea water, sediments and marine life tested so far in the world. It is a reservoir of biodiversity for an over-exploited ocean.

This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos forms a terrestrial ecoregion together with the Maldives and the Lakshadweep.